Doom? Delivered? Imminent Return?

Dan Baxley

www.yahshuaservant.com

February 21, 2004

Remember the cartoons of the guy carrying a sign declaring DOOM to the world? In some movies you get a glimpse of this guy, this whacko, in the background. This all comes from a time in American history when times were bleak and certain individuals, well meaning, of course, would parade the streets with signs declaring the end and advising people to repent and turn to God. Eventually this became a source of humor and ridicule. What I do not want this to happen here it is not my goal to ridicule the modern day DOOMS DAY warning – but, all the same, I don’t see anyway around it. Tolerance is one thing but tolerance can lead to paralysis, a do nothing, say nothing approach. I do agree with those carrying the modern-day signs of DOOM -- that one day our Lord, YaHshua is going to return to this earth and this will be the “end”, but not of the world, not of humanity, it will actually be a beginning, a NEW BEGINNING. The modern-day doomsayers threaten the world with the Imminent return, a coming at any moment, a surprise attack on those that will not listen to them. They, and their followers, of course, will escape to Heaven. Their “at any moment” message ignores the prophetic words of our Savior, and this is what I want to cover here – the reason why our Savior, Yahshua, will not come “at any moment” -- why He cannot come at any moment .

Yes, it will be a surprise, for those deceived, as He will come at a most inopportune time for those claiming to be believers, thinking they understand the word as they desire it. He will not come when most professing believers think, it is they whom are caught off gaurd. The world will not be caught off guard -- the world could care less, it is the Christians, those claiming to be followers of the Messiah and the Savior of the Holy Book. It is they, believers, those looking for a false return that will be surprised -- caught off guard, many will begin to scoff, "where is the promise of His coming"? But I’m getting ahead of my self. I have a DOOMS-DAY to report also, but not from my words from His, and His words will prove He will not come until certain events have occurred. He cannot come, and will not come at any moment, no, not until certain words are fulfilled. And the way this is all going to come about will startle you, or at least it should. There is coming first a Great Quake and that will only be the beginning. He will not come before this great event and several events to follow.

Can all of the modern day prophets be wrong? After you finish reading this and considering the words of our Savior, words addressed to the Seven Churches then you decide.

DOOM! DOOM at any MOMENT?

Within the Christian community a load of garbage is being said and written about the coming of our Christ “at any moment”, a “secret coming”, they say, as a "thief in the night, they shout contradicting the words for a very visible appearance, "...every eye will see Him" (Rev 1:7). According to the“left behind” teachers it will be a "secret" coming and this, of course, according to this popular teaching, leads to all “good” Christians being “ruptured” away to safety (that would be to Heaven?), avoiding the “tribulation”, while all the “bad” Christians will be left behind to endure the tribulation, that “time of trouble”, that time of God's wrath, while they are safe in Heaven. This “doctrine”, this “escape doctrine”, has been fueled by fictional writings known as the “Left Behind Series” and movies portraying those 'left behind" fighting it out with the Beast and the forces of Satan.

This doctrine, this false teachings is like the books, and the movies it is fiction, pure fiction (2 Peter 2:3). Try as they might, twist, misread, fictionalize they still cannot rid themselves of non-fictional scripture like that found in Revelation 6:12-13 and 7:14-17 and Acts 2:19-20 and Matthew 24:29. These verses need no interpretation and can be easily understood -- hard to be accepted, not pleasant to be sure but the truth -- prepare yourself.

The sorry thing about this whole affair is the confusion it produces concerning the “true doctrine” of the Resurrection. The Resurrection doctrine is a basic doctrine of the Apostles and the first century Church. The Rapture doctrine undermines the understanding of what the Apostles taught about the Resurrection. Of late it has becoming ever increasingly evident the Resurrection doctrine is being literally replaced by this false teaching. They now speak of the “rapture” as the “resurrection” all in one breath or written sentence -- the rapture equals the resurrection. For the new comer to the faith this may take years to unravel, it may take something so extreme to shake those having accepted this false teaching a waking up of things in such a way as to wake even the staunchest advocates of this false doctrine from their sleep, or their blindness. Thinking they are spiritually rich bit in fact are poor and naked.

The context of chapter seven is an added element to events taking place at the beginning of the Messiah’s appearance, this time in glory and power. As we see in chapter six events unfold at the opening of the sixth seal (6:12). A great happening occurs, the earth is moved in such a way that cause many, in extreme fear, to hid in caves and tunnels begging the mountains to cover them, to save them from this coming “doom”. The scripture says they are hiding from the face of God (Rev. 6:15). Whether mankind understands that is what they are doing is not made clear, but I think they do not. I think the non-believer, and some believers turned scoffers, scared out of their wits, and during times of impending disaster, men do run to hide in the rocks, literally within mountains. The fortresses of governments throughout the world have bunkers built back into moutains; nothing more than fancy caves in the rocks of the earth. I believe when this event happens the greater population of the world will believe they are witnessing the demolition of the earth from space -- signs in the heavens? Imagine if you will, the coming of the Son, the heavens appearing to roll back, and then a consuming ball of fire coming at the earth unlike anything men have ever witnessed before. The World is about to come to an end. People going out of their minds, some falling dead with dear, other seeking refuge in the mountains and, of course, many cursing God for not having “taken” them. After all, the earth scientist have been telling hopeless mankind that the earth's days are number, that man is doomed to go the way of the dinosaur, that earth itself is one day going to burn up when the sun finishes it's head long rush into oblivion.

Many things are going to happen before our Saivor returns, the end has only begun and will be spread out over much more than just a few years. From my perspective the next great event to happen is not the "Rapture", as some teach, but the Great Quake and that will only be the start.

Between the sixth seal and the seventh seal things are held back for a brief moment while the people of God are marked with a seal on their foreheads (Rev 7:3) and we are given the number of them, but look, right after this there is a multitude dressed in white and when asked who these are John is told “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation …” (7:14). Ah, but the believers and deceivers of the “taken away doctrine”, the “left behind doctrine”, or is it the “escape doctrine” (you decide) will say that these are those that were left behind, those not good enough to be “taken away” before these terrible events. But wait, the next verse (15) says these are those having washed their robes in the “blood of the Lamb”. This being the case whose blood has the “taken”, those in the rapture, washed their robes in? Strange, no mention of them, that is if the “rapture” be true (and it is not). But wait, there is more, the next verses tell us that these saints are destined to be before the “throne” of the Living God and, skipping down, that the Lamb is at the center of the throne and is their “Shepard”. No mention of any believers or saints taken before or after this. The vision is clear, the servants and saints are either marked (those present at the time of “trouble”) and those having gone through previous Great Tribulation. Please notice, the marking of the “servant” is made plain to us as descendants of Israel and this is spoke of in a future tense (still to happen) but when we come to the “saints” taken from every nation and tongue we see it spoke of, by the context, in a past tense (having already happened). Do not confuse the Great Tribulation with the “time of trial, or temptation ”, mention in Revelation 3:10, they are not the same. One is a time of “trial” a time of “trying”, or “testing” worded as a “time of temptation” by the KJV. The other is a “great tribulation”, a “great anguish”, literally a “persecution” also called a “time of trouble”.

Note: I too have, in times past, made this same mistake of confusing the “time of trial” with the “time of trouble” (tribulation). I will be going back over my material to correct this error.

Shaking in your shoes? He could be here any moment? The Imminent Return?

Can the Messiah come at any time? Of course He could, He can do anything He wants, but will He -- that is the question, isn’t it? He will come only at the appointed time, a time our Heavenly Father has set and not before. Our Father has determined a time, a time only He knows but make no mistake, the time chosen will Recalling the word's of our Savior:

Mat 24:36 "But concerning that day and the hour no one knows, not even the messengers of the heavens, but My Father only.

The teachings of the Messiah sneaking up on us are ludicrous. Yes, I know the “thief in the night” statement, but read the context of those verses and you quickly see it is speaking to those not watching, those asleep, those thinking they are “rich in spirit but are naked”, those thinking they have nothing to worry about, after all, they will be in Heaven when all “hell” breaks loose. When the Messiah spoke of such things even His knowledge was limited. His teachings were as a warning to live right, be right, but not in the fear of His returning at any moment. He knew the Father cannot lie and that His Word, through Him, is true and that those things foretold must first come to pass, hence the warning, "...you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars" (Matthew 24:6). If He, himself, suspected He might come at any moment (Imminently) why would He make such a statement -- I'm thinking He pretty much knew a lot had to happen before He would return. Read all of Matthew 24 and you will see, while our Savior did not know the exact time set by our Heavenly Father, He did know certain things had to happen first. In Matthew 24 He give a clear outline of those events to come, from that time to now, and there is still a major event to occur, actually several events but there will be one leading events the Believer can look forward to and it will happen well before our Savior returns. His return cannot be “Imminent” as this event and those to follow have not happened. What is that event? The Great Quake of Revelation 6:12, a worldwide earthquake and that has yet to happen, period!

The Word

The written "word" is the physical and visual appearance of His spoken word. The Messiah said that the “words” He spoke to them, and they later wrote down, are spirit (John 6:63). He, the Messiah, is identified as the Word and the Creator of all things (John 1:1-3) and has given us His word and the word of the Father in a promise of hope, a promise of salvation. He cannot, will not, lie. We have the privilege of reading the “words” given to John. These words are true and identify the true God, the Creator, and the Savior by whom we have the hope of salvation, the hope of eternal life into a perfect future. Yes, it is worth repeating. We believe the Word and the words as the Spirit given to us make the words ring within out being, the ring of truth. As children we innocently believe the parent. By the words once spoken we are told of events to occur, which must occur, before the great and terrible day of the Living God’s wrath and before the coming of our Savior back to take His rightful throne here on this earth. He cannot, He will not come back at “any moment”, but at the “appointed time”.

The “sixth seal” finished, the earth being moved out of its place, shaken to its very core. Wouldn't this appear to be the end of the world? But … it does not happen. Why? Because the rest of the book of Revelation tells us so (it is not over) there is more to come. Terrible? Yes, but the end, no. Notice, also, the Messiah, at this point, has not yet returned to this earth.

Want to start timing His return? You could start with this event, an event that has not yet historically happened. The Earth is still following its known path, there does not appear to be any unusual happenings, but we are told these things are coming and not after His return. Satan would dearly love to have you believe the “any moment” doctrine. This coupled with the “rapture escape” doctrine leaves the door of your mind wide open to the acceptance of the “false prophet” with his many signs and wonders operating under the power given to him and to the Beast by Satan himself (Revelation 13:2, 11-13).

You see, you have to ignore the written word and rewrite (books of fiction) events in a different order so Satan can work his magic on those headed for destruction. Can’t you see it? Isn’t it plain? With the prophetic words of the Bible we have a sure thing in preventing us from being fooled. When Satan’s plan unfolds it will be ahead of the plan of the Bible. Satan will have to make his move before the truth unfolds before the eyes of the world. The believers, the saints, will be grounded in the written word -- as if the Savior and the Father had spoken to them personally, because they beilieve His WORDS. When events unfold we, the witnesses will witness to these words becoming fact. This will be the witness of the end time saints, the truth of our Father’s word's and the word's of our Savior. He will not return until every word of the scriptures if fulfilled -- every word proven true and evry man proven a liar.

Chapter seven of Revelation falls right between the “sixth seal” and the “seventh seal”. Chapter seven gives us the view of the “marking” of the selected Israelites and of the non-Israel saints that have come through the “tribulation”. Are these happenings on the same time line of events with “seal six” the “seventh seal”? No, they are not. Something not understood by some that read the book of Revelation is the time lines are interrupted in several places to add details of things yet to happen or things that have already happened, like a mirror in front of you and a mirror behind you. Not unlike when you tell someone a story and then fill in past details, or give details of events not yet due. I know this seems just too simple. The information given between the two seals is “filler information”. You can see this in the context and flow of events given. Moving from seal number six right through to seal number seven. So why even bring up the marking of the Saints and the marking of the Israelites at this point?

The marking is a reminder that the Living God, our Father, is going to place the protection of His name (John 17:11-12) on those he will give special protection to not allowing the terrible calamities of His wrath to touch them, but notice, there is a waiting of those who have already given their lives, a waiting of brothers and sister that have “suffered the tribulation” just as they had. The mention of the special protection is not protection from the wrath of men, but the wrath of God. You see, the Great Tribulation is not from God, but from men. It must be admitted that no one is being removed from the earth, why bother with this specail event of "marking" if the saints are gone? – remember the “sixth seal”? Men are hiding from the face of God, what they perceive to be the end of the world. There then follows a small space of time, a silence, a calm -- the “seventh seal” is revealed -- a meteorite shower as never before seen or recorded in the history of man occurs. Massive forest fires break out all over the world -- and still the Messiah has not come.

When is the Christ coming? When is Yahshua returning to take the throne of David and rule from Jerusalem (Zechariah 14 - read all of it)? Sometime after the sixth and seventh seal, get the pictured? The earth is moved, the heavens roles out and it appears as the stars of the heavens are falling, men run in panic to the mountains, hiding, terrified, begging for a quick death, then – suddenly – nothing happens. The sealing of a selected number of Israelites and another number we are not given, the number of those that go through the “tribulation” -- just as brothers and sisters of the past had gone through the pain of “tribulation” and sufferings at the hand of their fellow human beings. So, a like number will endure a tribulation period prior to the return of the Messiah, prior to the marking of those protected from the wrath of the Father, that Great Day, not to be confused with the tribulation.

After this meteorite assault a brief period before the next event and, I believe, mankind will see they have survived and will again feel safe. It is at this time, I think, humanity will take on the task of serious self-defense worldwide. If there is ever anything that should inspire the human races to set aside their differences and to join in a united force to combat attack from space this would be it. But, mankind being as hardheaded as the rocks they sought refuge under probably will not seek any kind of repentance for their acts against one another and against the Creator God. For this reason there is more to come. How do we know? Because the “word” tells us so.

Back to the Seventh Seal

The seventh seal begins with the meteorite shower (known as falling stars) that will cause fires everywhere. No sooner will these be brought under control or burn out and the human race begins to feel safe again, having survived this major event, an "asteroid" will strike the earth (Asteroids are small bodies but considered much larger than meteroites. An asteroid the size of a mountain will smack into one of the oceans, the devastation will be immeasurable, but the end is not yet, the Messiah will not yet have returned. Right when you think it could not get any worse a “comet” enters our space (comets, unlike the asteroid have some kind of gasous atmophere that is visible even before it comes into our own atmosphere). Those earth seem powerless to do anything about its approach. You see, comets, unlike meteorites and asteroids are not silent runners. Earth’s scientist will see it coming and be helpless to do anything. This comet will explode in the earth’s atmosphere and it will somehow pollute the fresh waters of the earth. Will men then repent?

Through all of this mankind will be proud they have survived and encouraged by their survival will band together, I believe, forming a United front against any further invasions from outer space. In stead of turning to the Living God and begin preparing a welcome fitting the coming of the King they will work all the harder with the "work of their hands" to defeat, to destroy, anything they see as a threat coming from space. They may even turn to a false deliverer, with a false plan of salvation. It will seem right, it will seem logical, it will make sense, and this will lead to the banding together of a force to face any further attacks -- even God Himself. Plagues will follow and millions will die but will this bring repentace? Reading Revelation 9:20-21 it appears the answer is , no.

It would seem reasonable to the intelligent mind to be prepared. Even today there is talk and even research going on about the possibility of the Earth being hammered by a rock from space. No one likes to hear bad news even if the messengers of this “bad news” are scientist, but especially not from anyone quoting the Bible. The political powers have a hard time listening to each other let alone some religious guys calling for repentance and deliverance by the one true God (No, that would not me, I’m referring to the two witnesses mentioned in Revelation 11:3). There will be a change, however, as the words of the Living God unfold, and the governments (kingdoms) of this world shift and contort into different forms. When the meteorite shower, the asteroid the size of a mountain, and a poisonous comet invade the environment of this planet the powers that be will be looking to join forces -- the massive earthquake and the reeling of the Earth, I beleive will change the political world as we know it today. The salvation of the earth will be at stake and I think mankind think they can accomplish anything by the “works of their own hands”. It will seem right, and good, this joining with the Beast and the False Prophet (preacher). Many will pray for the plan of defense to work as they endeavor to follow the Beast into rebellion against the Creator Himself. The point -- the big point that will be missed is the one of “repentance”. No, mankind will still think they can save themselves by themselves and for themselves -- repent of what, they will ask?

Why do the people of this Earth act like they are immortal? There is so much evidence to the contrary, not just in the fact that we attend funerals but the fact of ancient history. Graves of the Ancients are being dug up all over the earth, stange people from the past that modern man only recently seem to understand. It is common knowledge, in these modern times, that a population inhabited this planet many thousands of years ago and they are gone, just so much dust and bones. Their cities in ruin the memory of them, until recently, forgotten. Even today with digging up the past, what is left of it, we don’t not know that much, a lot of guessing. Don’t get me wrong the investigators, the archaeologist, have found a lot and know a lot but a lot of conjecture, guessing, supposing, albeit intelligent reading of the stones and the carcasses of a once proud and sometimes violent people, the arguments rage among them concerning origins and departures. The fascination these failed societies, bordering on worship, ignores the fact in all of their grandeur and pomp, and mighty deeds -- as the stones sing out -- they are gone, they are dead, their cities lie in ruin -- and our fate and future is not much better. We, like them, are not immortal. The work of their hands lays covered in dirt, as will ours one day. The acnients have come to nothing, what make modern man think our future is any better. Outside of accepting our Creator as the avenue to life we are headed down the same path of dirt and dust -- after all -- that is what we are made of, isn't it.

There can be only one salvation and that is the hope and prayer that there is a God and that He did name a way possible for us to not become dusty history crumbling away. If there is not, if there is no Creator God, then we are all scheduled to die, for even if outer space debris does not get us our very own sun will. The sun, you know, that huge globe in the sky, is scheduled to one day over run its boundaries and the Earth and its neighbors will cease to exist. When? Very soon in space-time, some say a million years but they really don’t know, just wishful guessing. The fact remains, we are wasting our time and efforts without a God to deliver us. The realization of this impending “doom” has caused some scientist to write their own fiction devising plans for space travel to other planets so we can escape this “doomed” planet. How absurd is that? Anything but turn to the Savior, Yahshua. It does not take a “rocket scientist” (pardon the cliché) to do a little research and reading to discover what a fools dream that is. Okay, okay, you want to keep that dream alive, that’s fine, but answer me this, where are you going to be when man figures out how to leave this “doomed” galaxy. That’s right, “galaxy”, as it too is “doomed”, traveling on a collision course with another galaxy. My, my where do we run to?

When scientist become science fiction writers instead of scientific researchers then we can rest assured, there is no hope for man, woman, or child for a future on this “doomed” planet, it is aging, it is running down, degenerating, not regenerating, as is its sun. The end is coming and without a God, without Yahshua, it will truly be “the end”. Hey, we have been told already, and by a pretty good source, that the Earth and the Heavens (space) are passing away and by fire -- read 2 Peter 3:12 and ask you question, "How ought you to live"?

For more on what the future of this palnet hold, and what the scientist say, check out the link below. Praise-you-YaH

Come Yahshau, come, that we may have eternal life.

email: servant@yahshuaservant.com

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